West Germany: Making the Grand Coalition Work

Like a swarm of locusts, five helicopters
descended onto the concrete veran da of the shelterlike municipal
auditorium in Braunschweig. From one stepped Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger,
63, there to attend the first convention of his Christian Democratic
Union since he took office. Kiesinger quickly made it clear that he was
also there to take charge. After a two-hour speech, in which he
matter-of-factly demanded full control of the party, he was voted in as
chairman of the C.D.U. by an overwhelming majority of 423 to 16,
replacing Ludwig Erhard. He also, despite early objections, won almost
as massive support...